


Walking by

by Melethril



Category: Original Work
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-19
Updated: 2018-11-19
Packaged: 2019-08-26 04:32:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16674556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melethril/pseuds/Melethril
Summary: Inspired by an interview with Sir Ian McKellen(DoFP Q & A – London 5.12.14 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLz1eUgV8H8))"(...) if you are on your phone and you’re concentrating on that, you are bumping into people but you are not looking at them, and the love of your life has just gone by. The person who was going to make you happy for the rest of your life, you didn’t see them because you were talkin… who were you talking to?”





	Walking by

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, here's my first (published original work), which was still inspired by other people :) It seems I'll be a fanfiction writer forever :D
> 
> Still, this is not part of any fandom, so Original Work it is...

_Author's note:_

_Inspired by Sir Ian McKellen (_ DoFP Q & A – London 5.12.14 (<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLz1eUgV8H8>)):

 

_“I would have the ability to turn off other people’s I-phones.”_

_(Do you get annoyed?)_

_“When they are talking to me, for example, or are having a meal with me, or are just walking down the street, frankly, I just think it’s so rude.”_

_(do they do that when they have dinner with you?)_

_“No, because I won’t let them. But, if you are on your phone and you’re concentrating on that, you are bumping into people but you are not looking at them, and the love of your life has just gone by. The person who was going to make you happy for the rest of your life, you didn’t see them because you were talkin… who were you talking to?” (you’ve probably forgotten)_

_“If you’ve got to be on the phone on the street, why did you bother coming out to the street, why did you not stay at home, maybe I’m just an old…”_

 

* * *

 

 

**Walking By**

 

Simultaneously handling an umbrella, a laptop bag, a backpack containing at least nine thousand pages worth of publications (admittedly, not quite as many, but his new year’s resolution of killing less trees had gone right out of the window with this murderous beast of a review paper he had to finish by Monday), and making a phone call while crossing one of London’s busiest streets may not have been the best idea. There was nothing he could do about it, though. Nevertheless, he really should not have forgotten his earphones in the office.

“Sorry, say that again? I’m outside and I can hardly hear you!” he shouted into the phone. If people had told him ten or fifteen years ago that the thing future mobile phones would be worst at was actually making phone calls, he would have called them crazy. His old Nokia had been perfectly serviceable, thank you very much. He had been able to text and call, and that was all you needed in a phone, but no, of course not, some people only used WhatsApp and SnapChat or Twitter and all those other stupid social media inventions everybody used these days. It just made him feel old (and, given his profession, uncommonly inept) and he had only turned forty a few months ago. He cut his way through the crowd, his eyes facing the street, so he could focus on placing one foot in front of the other without tripping while following the conversation with his ex-girlfriend without getting distracted by other people. By the time he was halfway through the crowd, he had probably brushed by two dozen people, excused himself at least six times and had his shoulder bumped around three times.

_“I said,”_ Catherine shouted, clearly annoyed that she was forced to raise her voice, _“that you’ll have to pick up Sean after practice, because Sarah called in sick so I need to stand in for her and Christopher can’t get out of work in time.”_

“Sure, no problem. He can also sleep at my place,” offered Liam nonchalantly. Deadlines were overrated after all. Unless they were for funding (and the MRC proposal would only become an issue next month, thank God), there was almost always an extension period, and he would rather spend his time with Sean than a history lesson on the development of antibiotic resistance since the 1940s published by ‘Pioneer in your field’ _et al_.

“I’ll drop him off at your place after practice on Thursday.” He muttered another apology after bumping rather clumsily into another suit, but he kept moving. One glimpse at his watch made him wince. He had two hours to shop, prepare dinner and pick up Sean. He could not help the brief spark of annoyance directed at his son’s mum, though he squished it firmly. He was fully aware how lucky they were. “Lily’s still doing okay at your sister’s, right?”

_“Oh, she loves pretending to be a single child.”_

Liam chuckled and sidestepped a pair of feet that had appeared out of nowhere, and his evasion tactic worked for the most part. Shoulders still collided with more force than expected. Liam elegantly stepped around a wheelchair and apologetically looked at the thin, dark-haired gentleman sitting in the chair wearing a suit. The man nodded at him and Liam nodded back before continuing. He just barely remembered to apologize to the next person he bumped into.

“Excuse me,” he muttered before focussing back on the conversation at hand. “Good, that’s good.” Catherine made a sound that clearly showed how tired she was. “Think of it this way, they will be back in school on Monday.”

As far as patchwork families went, Liam’s was a well-oiled piece of machinery these days, not perfect, but close enough. Before Christopher and, as a consequence, Lily, things had been tense (terrible) occasionally, especially in those early years after his doctorate when he should have applied for postdoc positions abroad but chose not to because he could not just abandon Catherine with a newborn child, whether they were still a couple or not. The early years were always hard, with daycare and pre-school; they had not been easier with Lily almost exactly four years after Sean, but at least there had been three adults and two sets of grandparents nearby, to juggle two children and two-and-a-half careers. School breaks always disrupted their routine causing the children to feel a bit unbalanced and restless, and it reminded the adults just how much harder things used to be. At the very least, football practice continued throughout spring break, so Sean could exert himself physically.

_“Yeah,”_ Catherine laughed, just as he finally reached the other side and he took a moment to breathe.

“I swear I will never forget my earphones again,” said Liam as he eloquently explained his grievances with mobile phones in general and smartphones in particular, laying out just why nobody needed those stupid things anyway.

_“Liam, I really need to hang up now. They are paging me,”_ said Catherine.

“Okay, so, here’s the plan of attack. I’ll take him home and will bring him back on Friday. The kids are with you this weekend. Next week, we are back to the normal schedule, right?”

_“Yes, thank you, Liam,”_ said his ex-girlfriend gratefully.

“No worries, give my best to Chris, and I’ll see you on Friday night.”

_“See you, goodbye! Bye, bye!”_

“Bye!” Liam replied just as he stepped into the bus. He truly detested making phone calls in public transportation; it just seemed so rude. He put his phone away and gratefully took that last free seat in the back, desperately trying to fit all his carry-on beneath and in front of him without causing too much trouble. Once settled, he grabbed his phone. There was that newspaper article he had not finished this morning…

* * *

“Aye. No, no, I’m on my way back now. I’ll be back in the office by…” William grimaced as he glimpsed at his watch, “five o’clock. That meeting took longer than expected.” He yearned for an easy client that did not change their minds at the last minute. His last three cases had been a nighmare.

_“We intended to go for drinks at six, but I’m guessing you’ll still be working by then.”_

“I’m afraid so,” replied William with a sigh. He had not joined the others in over four weeks. He was looking forward to that closing. Another two weeks and it was over. “Go ahead, I’ll join you next time.”

_“Are you sure?”_ asked Simon, clearly uncomfortable with the idea.

“Aye,” said William before voicing his annoyance at some guy who had just bumped his shoulder. “Dick!” he muttered, as he turned to flip him off, but the man was already out of sight, and he had to apologize to that young lady whom he nearly ran over as he settled back into the stream of people.

“Sorry?” asked Simon.

“Not you, sorry. Some arsehole on the street fiddling with his phone and not paying attention to the road.” He sidestepped a pile of something he refused to identify further and drifted into the contraflow.

“Ah,” said Simon, and laughed as he listened to William cursing and apologizing left and right until he was back on track. This was a nightmare! A cute lad in a wheelchair was neatly cutting a wedge into the seemingly endless stream of people as they gave him a wide berth, and William stepped into that people-free space right behind the the wheelchair. As soon as he saw an opening he slipped past ‘attractive lad’s’ wheels, gave him a sympathetic smile (because if it was hell to cross this street with both legs intact, he did not want to know what it was like for him), appreciated the symmetric features for a moment, before he walked past him. So caught up in the conversation with Simon and distracted by ‘wheelchair guy’, he missed a step, and nearly collided with a tall figure who seemed to have had the same idea as far as wheel evasion went.

“Sorry, sorry,” he muttered, but did not stop. He had not actually hit the other man, so everything was fine. He did smile at that lady tourist his age who seemed torn between wanting to take a picture of the busy street (if her hand gesture was anything to go by) and her sense of self-preservation.

“Whoever decided that every person should work until five and go home simultaneously, should be sued for violating some sort of peace treaty.”

_“We don’t do too much litigation… Hell, I couldn’t even suggest which treaty they violated,”_ laughed Simon. _“Listen, I’ve got to continue, but I’ll see you later at the office.”_

“Sure, see you!” replied William and hung up the phone. He bumped into at least four other people and outright apologized seven times before reaching the other side. He was mentally bracing himself for continuing to work until eleven, and the only good thing he could come up with was the fact that there would be fewer people out and about the street. He could not wait to go home, and watch some crap telly to keep his mind off of work.

* * *

Liam was sitting by a table outside. He smiled at a text Keira had sent just a minute ago: an adorable video of Sean asleep while Liam’s granddaughter was playing with the latest addition to his son’s family, a chocolate Labrador pup called Guiness (Keira had mentioned something along the line of ‘Sean wanting to acknowledge his Irish heritage’). Lily and her husband had just visited earlier this morning, but Liam felt their absence like a hole in his chest. They had their lives and he was grateful for that. Cath and Chris had moved to Chris’ sister up North almost six months ago, and he missed their company. Liam himself was still a bit too healthy and young to be thinking about retirement homes. Instead he had rented a nice little flat close enough to his children, so he could take care of their children whenever they needed it, and in close proximity of his future retirement home, so that he would know the place and the people, and because it was a wonderful opportunity to talk to people his age. Deep in thought, he startled when a soft baritone caught his attention.

“Excuse me, is this seat taken?”

Liam looked up and smiled at a bald gentleman with striking blue eyes that gleamed with unspoken mischief. None of the other tables were occupied; there were no other people nearby. The only reason this man was speaking to him was a request for company.

“Not at all. Please feel free and sit down. Liam Kelly,” said he as he offered his hand.

“William Thomson,” was the reply as he used the offered hand to gingerly sit on the chair. “An Irishman? I would not have suspected it.”

“Irish and proud,” retorted Liam with a grin, “but I’ve lived in London for the past sixty years. I only sound Irish around other Irish.”

“You just got tired of hearing ‘sorry, what did you just say?’ after every other sentence, admit it,” the Scotsman bleeding through a perfect London accent was such a surprise it made Liam laugh out loud, utterly charmed.

“Do you play?”

Liam blinked, observing the chessboard he had seen countless times, but never used. He was used to play chess online, but had not actually faced an opponent that was not his twelve-year-old granddaughter in years.

“I am looking forward to it,” said he, and they took their time to set up the pieces and make their opening moves while getting to know each other a little. Apparently, Will had just moved into the apartment nearby for the same reasons as Liam. Old but not too old, single and relatively healthy but wishing to benefit from all the elderly friendly activities that the retirement home offered.

“I was particularly charmed by the name, of course,” commented Will, who was an utterly enjoyable human being, full of mischief and charm coupled with a vicious sense of humour. “I mean, what could possibly be a more appropriate name for an old people’s home than ‘The Ferryman’?”

“That was the selling point for me as well,” smiled Liam lifting his cup of tea, which was immediately met by Will.

“So, London. And what did you do when you were still part of the workforce?”

“I am a professor at the Imperial College,” replied Liam. “Well, retired, but I still consult the little ones.”

“Impressive,” quipped the gentleman. He gave a respectful nod but his eyes gleamed playfully, the corner of his mouth indicated a smile. “What field?”

“Chemical Biology and Healthcare.”

“Good God, we almost worked in the same branch!” Will sounded positively delighted, and Liam felt the emotion echo in his chest. He moved another pawn into position.

“How come?”

“I am a senior partner at a corporate law firm focused on M&A primarily dealing with pharmaceutical and tech companies… well, I was. Now I am raising baby lawyers just like you raise baby scientists.”

“That is one mouthful for you telling me that you are one of the bad guys,” Liam smirked.

“If you weren’t so handsome, I would take offense.”

Liam’ bishop slipped from his fingers. He could feel his heart beat in his chest, and he swallowed dryly, for a moment unsure where to look. Will noticed instantly, and leaned back in his chair.

“I am sorry,” Will looked chagrined, obviously ready to leave if Liam gave the word. “You did mention children and grandchildren, but I do hope you forgive me for trying.” The smile was sad and a bit self-depreciating, not at all the confident gentleman he had met earlier. The change was startling; all he could do was stare at the retired laywer. The silence must have stretched for too long because Will nodded and rose from the table.

“Have a good day, sir,” was all he said, but he stopped when Liam’s hand gently grasped his wrist.

“I would hate not to finish this game. After all, I will beat you in ten to fifteen moves.” It was now Liam’ turn to smile mischieviously. Immediately, it was returned.

“I would like to see you try,” chuckled Will, as he reclaimed his seat.

* * *

One chess game became three, became four, became regular lunches, became dinners, became nights.

It was heaven. Will could not remember ever being this happy. Liam was a marvel: wonderful (dark) sense of humour, sharp, not to mention he was blessed with intelligence, beauty and a wonderful family. He remembered the first time he had met Liam’ son Sean and his family, and how they had immediately welcomed him as their “Grandpa’s” partner, even though from what Liam had told him, whatever short liasons he had had over the years, he had been with neither man nor woman for long enough to introduce to his family. Sometimes, he caught himself looking at Liam and his chest tightening painfully. It has only been a few months, but he could not think of anyone he would rather spend his time with.

They were sitting outside, their hands entangled. They were not talking to each other, but that was not necessary. In fact, they had become one of those old couples that communicated nonverbally with each other offering the false impression that they had been together for decades instead of mere months. He brought Liam’s hand to his lips, kissed it, and muttered, “You know, no matter how big this city is, it seems crazy that we have never met despite our workplaces being so near to each other.”

Liam smiled, “Well, looking back, we were so busy, weren’t we? Always running from place to place. I am sure we must have met or crossed paths at some point.”

“I would have seen you,” Will protested quietly. He had seen images of the young Liam; he could not have possibly missed him. “I am sure of it. I would have seen you.”

Liam’s smile broadened and he looked like a young man for a moment as his eyes sparkled with life, “You are right. We would have seen each other. I wish we had. We have the rest of our lives, but I would give almost anything if we were given more time.”

Time. It was such a precious thing; there had never seemed to be enough hours in the day or days in the week. Of course, all of that time had been reserved for work, and perhaps a bit of fun going out with colleagues. In retrospect, he probably should have spent some more time actually living. Now, all he could do was enjoy the time they had left with every fiber of his being.

 

* * *

 

_“When they are talking to me, for example, or are having a meal with me, or are just walking down the street, frankly, I just think it’s so rude. […] If you are on your phone and you’re concentrating on that, you are bumping into people, but you are not looking at them, and the love of your life has just gone by. The person who was going to make you happy for the rest of your life… You didn’t see them because you were talkin… who were you talking to? […] If you’ve got to be on the phone on the street, why did you bother coming out to the street, why did you not stay at home? […]”_

_Sir Ian McKellen (X-Men_ Days of Future Past Q & A – London, December 5, 2014) (<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLz1eUgV8H8>)


End file.
